"I understand what it is to lose a home. After the 1999 elections, without any
warning, my family and I were driven out of the [Prime Minister's Residence], just
thrown on the street. We had to go to the Sheraton Plaza. It's a terrible
feeling."

Prime Minister Netanyahu, to illegal outpost residents of Amona
who are getting 1 million shekels per family to move off other people's land.

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. Views and
positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent
APN's views and policy positions.

December 19, 2016 - US-Israel in the Trump era: Ambassador Friedman and a
US embassy in Jerusalem

Q. President-elect Trump has selected David Friedman to be US
ambassador to Israel. Friedman and the Trump team assert that the US embassy will
soon be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Friedman actively supports the
settlements, rejects the two-state solution, and calls J-Street “worse than capos”.
A game-changer from hell?

A. Potentially more than one game-changer...

Q. Start with the Friedman appointment.

A. It is sad to note that this is actually the most “lite” of the
three issues...

Q. And if the embassy is really moved to Jerusalem and this president
makes good on a promise nearly all presidential candidates have made but not kept
for decades?

A. ...It is the Arab and broader Muslim worlds that will react
angrily and probably violently...

Q. So what should Trump be doing about the embassy?

A. ...Considering how often and unashamedly he zigzags, Trump
should have no difficulty in wiggling out of this disastrous commitment.

Q. How do the ambassadorial appointment and the Jerusalem embassy
issues factor into the existing divides and conflicts within world
Jewry?

A. These two issues are likely to exacerbate the divide in
Israel... In America, the Israel-related hawk-dove divide is likely to grow...

Rabbi Rank relates the proliferation of "fake news" to the current Torah portion
(Parsha), and how Jewish tradition urges us to speculate not on the
origins of evils but the path forward to peace.

Thank you for your support of
APN

The donations APN receives by the end of 2016 will make it possible to take on
the challenges ahead in 2017. As seen below, APN is already out front in our
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David Friedman is a friend of the settlement movement who backs unlimited
settlement expansion, has accused President Obama of being an anti-Semite, and says
that liberal Zionists are "worse than kapos." Tell your Senators to reject
his nomination to be the next US ambassador to Israel.

Ambassador-nominee David Friedman,
In His Own Words

See a compilation of quotes from articles and speeches by David Friedman so you can
better understand and judge his views, based entirely on his own words.

APN
launches PeaceCast!

PeaceCast is a podcast produced in Washington by APN, exploring issues and trends
relating to peace and security for Israel, focusing on Israel’s conflict with the
Palestinians and efforts to resolve it. Episodes feature experts, activists,
advocates and scholars whose work or passion is Israeli-Palestinian peace.

GoHEREto listen to the premiere episode
featuring Elias Zananiri and Talia Sasson, and subscribe to PeaceCast through
the podcast app on your smartphone.

LISTEN to APN's Briefing Call
with Senator George Mitchell and Alon Sachar

The authors of A Path to Peace: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian
Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East, discussed their
findings, including the imperative of a two-state solution.

The settlement in the territories is the most significant, influential enterprise
established in Israel in the past 50 years. On the way, it crushes the foundations
of statehood laid by the founding generation.